Mayors of Jersey City, New Jersey: Frank Hague, Mayor of Jersey City, Bret Schundler, Jerramiah Healy, H. Otto Wittpenn, L. Harvey Smith

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 29. Chapters: Anthony R. Cucci, Bernard J. Berry, Bret Schundler, Charles H. O'Neill, Charles K. Krieger, Charles S. Witkowski, Charles Siedler, Cornelius Van Vorst, David Stout Manners, Dudley S. Gregory, Edward Hoos, Frank H. Eggers, Frank Hague, Gerald McCann, Gilbert Collins, Glenn Cunningham (New Jersey), H. Otto Wittpenn, Henry C. Taylor, Henry J. Hopper, Henry Traphagen, Isaac W. Taussig, James Gopsill, Jerramiah Healy, John B. Romar, John V. Kenny, Joseph Rakowski, L. Harvey Smith, Marilyn Roman, Mark M. Fagan, Mayor of Jersey City, Orestes Cleveland, Paul T. Jordan, Peter Bentley (mayor), Peter F. Wanser, Peter McMartin, Phineas C. Dummer, Robert Gilchrist, Samuel Wescott, Thomas A. Alexander, Thomas F. X. Smith, Thomas Gangemi, Thomas J. Whelan, William Clarke (mayor). Excerpt: Frank Hague (January 17, 1876 - January 1, 1956) was an American Democratic Party politician who served as the mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey from 1917 to 1947, Democratic National Committeeman from New Jersey from 1922 until 1949, and Vice-Chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 1924 until 1949. Hague has a widely-known reputation for corruption and bossism and has been called the grandaddy of Jersey bosses. By the time he left office in 1947, he enjoyed palatial homes, European vacations, and a private suite at the Plaza Hotel. His wealth has been estimated to have been over $10 million at the time of his death, although his City salary never exceeded $8,500 per year and he had no other legitimate source of income. His desk, which is still located in City Hall, has a specially designed lap drawer which could be pushed outward towards the person with whom he was meeting. This allowed his guests to discreetly deliver bribes in the form of envelopes containing large amounts of cash. During the height of his power Hague's political machine, known as the organization, was one of the most powerful in the United States controlling politics on local, county, and state levels. Hague's personal influence extended to the national level, influencing federal patronage and Presidential campaigns. Francis Frank Hague, born in Jersey City, was the fourth of eight children to John D. and Margaret Hague (nee Fagen), immigrants from County Cavan, Ireland. He was raised in Jersey City's Second ward, an area known as The Horseshoe due to its shape which wrapped around a railroad loop. The ward was created when the Republican-controlled legislature gerrymandered a district within Jersey City in 1871 to concentrate and isolate Democratic, and mostly Catholic, votes. By age 14, Hague was expelled from school prior to completing the sixth grade for poor attendance and unacceptable behavior. He worked briefly as a blacksmith's apprentice for the Erie Railroad. While tr